"Developing
Digital Short Films" is filled with ideas, examples, and detailed
exercises. I have been teaching students how to make digital films for
a number of years, and I think this book is remarkable in its breadth-it
is everything that I have always wanted wrapped into one volume. It
can be used with young filmmakers in school as well as adults in workshops,
and because it has so much material and some flexible options, you can
choose from among the vast number of examples and exercises when teaching.
The depth and structure of the book allow filmmakers to fully explore
an idea, to deepen the examination of character and plot points, to
spend extensive time on shot visualization, to ensure enough time in
pre-production, and to use 2D and 3D effects to enhance their films.
Every filmmaker and teacher knows that anyone can start a film or write
a script-but creating one that effectively includes all of the necessary
elements is difficult. "Developing Digital Short Films" is
an answer to that problem."

-
David Kaminski, Digital Filmmaking Instructor, New York

"This
is a step-by-step guide to craft an award winning film without going
bankrupt. Full of insider knowledge, this offering is a must for
aspiring directors. A real one of a kind book that should fill the
gap and empower you in the process. And you too will be able to
shout from the top of your lungs: "Action!"

-
The [Digital][Dispatch] Mag

"San
Francisco filmmaker/digital flick queen Sherri Sheridan shows the
reader how to turn literary ideas, metaphors, or philosophies into
movies that can captivate their viewers. In Part 1, she gives prescriptions
for movie making. She lists 40 plot points for feature films from
the hook that moves the viewer from the real world to the film world,
foreshadowing to prepare for the resolution, twists of plot, revelation
and epiphany, and resolution. Much of this is in Shakespeare and,
for that matter, in Sophocles. Still, Ms. Sheridan takes inspiration
in baby steps for her readers. And she does it very well.

Part 2 of the book is about turning scripts into visions. Part 3,
the techno stuff, is about doing vision in digital formats with
computer-enhanced animation and special effects, applications of
3D, and much more. One book isn't enough make the next Steven Spielberg,
but this one is a fine start. Ms. Sheridan writes with experience
and with an evident desire to help her reader. Developing Digital
Short Films is an awfully good way to learn how to do it."

-
Andrew Allentuck, Globe Technology

"This
is an excellent resource for teachers covering everything you could
possibly know about making short films!"

–
BC Media Educators Website Review

"This
book has all sorts of useful information on how to make a film.
I'm doing a documentary right now and am using several ideas straight
from the project exercises in this book. I never realized there
were so many different ways to communicate with an audience. Most
people seem to overlook the planning stages of filmmaking because
they do not know where to begin. I have been following along with
the exercises in this book and have gathered enough ideas for making
10 films! The drawings are suppose to be rough as the author explains,
since they are just ideas at this stage. Great book for students
or people making films who need help thinking up original ideas.
I'm getting a lot out of this book and would recommend it to anyone
thinking about making a film! It will save you lots of money too!"

-
Steven Greene, Atlanta, GA

"A
friend told me to get this book when I told him I was having problems
nailing my film idea down. The section called "40 Plot Points
For Feature Films" saved my deadline on script. I was able to
use many of the classic narrative techniques listed in this book to
construct a much tighter story visually. Great book for anyone who
has an idea for a film but does not quite know how to present it shot
by shot. Lots of valuable information on how to get the audience involved
in your film emotionally. I'm using Final Cut to edit my film and
found the digital storytelling sections useful for how to give my
film an original look, that was fast and did not cost a bunch of cash.
Highly recommended!"

-
Randy Carlson, New York, NY

"This
book focuses on the most important aspects of filmmaking...character
and story development... Without a strong original story and characters
nobody will care about your particle system and fancy renders... I
like this quote by Syd Mead "And finally, don't assume that technique
alone will save your ass. It still is the idea that wins...every time.
Remember that elaborate technique and dumb story produces a demo reel,
not a narrative."

Sherri
Sheridan takes apart the traditional narrative structure of successful
films and allows you to put them back together again using your original
characters and plotlines. There is a ton of material on scriptwriting
and storyboarding, preproduction is the most important phase of making
a film and this book is filled with preproduction information. This
is must have material! If you are planning to make your own short
or feature film buy this book! Trust me you won't be sorry! I could
go on and on but I have to work on my film! Good luck!"

-
D.H. Harrison, San Jose, CA

"This
book has proved invaluable to me as the coordinator of a first year
undergraduate course designed to introduce media students to film
and video, as well as multimedia skills. Sherri's informal style of
writing, coupled with her unpretentious approach to sharing her own
experiences as a digital film maker, makes this an ideal text for
first year students. This book captures the spirit of the convergence
between traditional film and multimedia, and the countless examples
and case studies presented throughout the book are a great source
of inspiration for students.

While many of the concepts addressed in the book are not new and have
been adequately addressed in other texts, Sherri describes these concepts
in a way that is highly engaging, and the comic book style illustrations
appeal to a young audience (as well as those of us who are not so
young). Of particular note are the chapters that deal with "generating
new ideas" (something first year media students find difficult),
"creating original characters, themes, and visual metaphors"
and "developing plot points", as well as the final three
chapters of the book that deal more specifically with the convergence
between film and video and multimedia.

Two of my lectures this semester were based on Sherri's analysis of
several popular movies, and the sections of those lectures that focused
on themes and also on the use of color palettes in popular movies
were real winners! Moreover, Sherri was more than willing to communicate
via email and made several resources available to me as a teacher
to address particular student needs.

When you purchase this book you are investing in a treasure trove
of teaching tips, techniques and resources. Sherri's Website adds
to the richness of these resources, and her commitment to inspiring
and motivating budding film makers is evident in this book and Sherri's
willingness to go the extra mile to further such educational ideals.

Thanks Sherri for providing educators with such a powerful set of
teaching tools at a time when we are challenged to meet the demands
of a student population who need to be conversant with both traditional
and digital film making techniques. "

-
Dr. Denise Wood, University of South Australia

"
I am Praveen Chrispugg, studying animation and filmmaking in the UK.
I bought this book recently. It is an excellent book and leads me
to many original avenues in the filmmaking process. Every page in
this book is precious for those who want to learn filmmaking and preproduction.
It has a step-by-step filmmaking process along with exercises and
encouraging quotes related to subjects, which allow you to think in
different perspectives. My MA project is now based on this book. This
one book is enough for one to learn filmmaking. This has been prepared
by a professional in film industry. The author took nearly three years
to complete this book. She put all of her experience and experiments
into this book. "Developing Digital Short Films" takes readers
to a professional level from an amateur one. I am highly recommending
this book to all filmmaking students and animators. Once you start
reading it, you won't stop.This is THE book we have all been waiting
for!"

-
Praveen Chrispugg, London, UK

"This book has more ideas on ways to make
a film than any book I have ever seen! The project exercises really
help keep the preproduction process on track. Great for taking a rough
idea and turning it into a film you are proud to show. Reading this
book for me, was the difference between making a bad first film and
making a deep work of art. If you are making any film, you need this
book!"

-
Shooter, Austin, Texas

"I
have seen no other book with this type of information combined. It
helps with most aspects of pre-production in a thorough manner. I
would definitely recommend this book. "

-
D. Meltzer, Downers Grove, IL

"New
bible for filmmakers everywhere! If you are making any kind of film,
or telling any sort of story, the information in this book will make
it better and deeper. There is a ton of information on how to tell
a VISUAL STORY, which none of the other film books I've read cover
in so much depth. The sections on how to use visual metaphors and
symbols really helped me to understand how films tell stories using
pictures and actions. I've never seen a book with so much useful information
packed onto each page. There are 100's of lists of ideas for the reader
to choose from in a great step-by-step preproduction process. The
digital parts on storytelling are revolutionary and really helped
me see where I could use some simple techniques to make my film more
hip and original. Essential reading for any independent filmmaker
working in features, documentary or shorts. I just love this book!
Buy it - it will change the way you think about making films on a
micro budget."

-
A Reader From Amazon.com

"Bloody
Marvelous Book! I was browsing the movie section at the bookstore
two months ago and I came across your book... I began to read bits
of the book and within a matter of minutes had walked to the counter
and purchased the book. What a find you and your book are!

I have been a director for 10 years, from music videos through commercials
to films. I shot my first hour long TV pilot last year as a gun for
hire and the experience woke me up to the importance of telling my
own stories. And I've just finished my first "digital short film"
two months after picking up the book. I'd already written the script
when I got the book, but I rewrote it subsequent to reading the book,
especially the development chapters, which are my favorite.

Anyway. Long story cut short. Just a mail to tell you that it's a
very special book. I'm recommending it to everybody, especially the
people who think they know everything. I love the richness and dense
layers of information. I marvel at what I get out of it. I wonder
what a beginner gets out of it. Did I say thank you? I'll send you
a link when my movie goes online."

-
L. Roderick, South Africa

"I'm
hoping to spend more time being creative - and less time being frozen.
I just picked up a fantastic book called "Developing Digital
Short Films". It's been a great read so far - and in some ways
has made me feel like I'm back in film school."

-
Vash, From An Evil_Blender Post

"A Developing Digital Short Film Success Story! In a previous
post I recommended the book "Developing Digital Short Films"
to help you develop ideas for films. One of the reasons for there
not having been a post for the past few days is that I have been working
through this book myself. I can report that the exercises really do
work - I now have two ideas for my first short film, and that's from
only the first 50 pages !

I
am looking forward to taking both of these ideas through into the
next stage of development and will keep you all posted on my progress.
I cannot stress how impressed I am with this - I have dithered and
been unsure of how to come up with anything other than a multi-million
dollar epic myself for years, and yet in a few days this book has
brought me a couple of ideas that are more practical for an indie
filmmaker with next to no budget."

- Nigel Davies

"With
some wonderful and affordable toys available to the Digital generation
there has never been a better time to make your own short film. Now
a lot of expense and time has been shed by using digital cameras and
good software with a high spec PC. This book is aimed at those who
want to take that step.There are three main sections divided into
eleven chapters and they take you through the entire process. Section
one is about the building blocks such as plot, theme, brainstorming
and even pitching the idea. You then develop the characters, look
for themes and work out all the plot points before a script is even
mentioned. The second section is very much about visualising the script
with the organisational structure, storyboarding, composition of shots
as well as set, lighting and sound considerations.Section three is
about production styles, and that means effects, bluescreen, animation
and anything that defines the visual style.

Throughout there are mini clapperboards that give definitions of terms
used and there are also highlighted creative tips. Every page is chock
a block with line drawings, graphs and tables. Color pages include
color blocks forming a palette and also stills from a work in progress.
Occasionally there are step by step numbers, but mainly there are
just headings and plenty of pithy advice.The sections on sound are
very good, and sound is often the last thing people are concerned
about when shooting something visual. Big mistake! Here the authors
point us in the right direction, whilst asking detailed questions
about our intent."

-
Movie Club News Book Review

"Delving
deep into the worlds of fantasy, animation, and special effects on
a tight budget, this large-format volume is brimming with hard information
and inspirational insights.Although it falls outside my personal interests,
while reading through it I was continually tweaked on how to write
stronger conventional screenplays, as it stresses both vision and
sound in the context of storytelling.The included CD ROM contains
clips, tutorials, and even a fully functioning demo version of Move
Magic Screenwriter.

Highly
recommended for anyone with an interest in the genre."

-
Canadian Screenwriter Magazine, Book Review by Bruce McKenna

"Sherri
Sheridan takes you in her book Developing Digital Short Films on a
very spectacular trip through the most interesting design topics in
the film and animation production industry. While moving through this
interesting educational trip, you will find Sherri stands out with
her tips, proverbs of famous people and exercises, which is the only
way to fully digest the content of the book. This practice opens your
eyes widely to see your favorite movies with a new vision. Every part
of the film will remind you of a concept or a principle Sherri has
mentioned in this book. Then you will realize how interesting this
filed is. And for sure, a dream to create your own movie comes to
mind.

As said, " This book will not make you Steven Spielberg, but
it is a good step to start with", this book gives you a strong
background in the field of animation. Not only the people with an
interest in working in the field of short films can use this book,
but also all those who work in the filed of animation, including cartoons,
web and digital animation. It will give you the keys to add flavor
to your animation and create eye-catching ideas with the principles
used in the film production industry.

This book is divided into three parts that take you step by step to
create a complex idea, which are enhanced with the exercises after
every step. The first part (Digital Storytelling) prepare you to create
your own story and develop it to create storyboards for your film,
in this part you will learn the concepts and principles of creating
an interesting story and develop it through its stages using its basic
elements of Plot, Character, and Theme.

After writing your story, Sherri takes you to the next step in part
two (Visualizing Your Script) which converts your story into storyboards
ready for production. In this part, you will learn how to use film
elements like cameras and locations to deliver your story to the target
audience. This part is very important in learning the principles of
filmmaking and animation. However, it is important for all who works
in the animation field.

The third part (Creating Digital Short Films for Different Production
Styles) is about using different techniques to develop your film into
the production phase applying all of what you have learned throughout
the book. This book provides a great experience for all who work in
the fields of films production, cartoon and animation."

-
Rafiq Elmansy, Macromedia Review

"I
was browsing www.peachpit.com
and found sample chapters of your book Developing Digital Short Films available
there. I printed them out and read them in the evening. I have read
so many books on scriptwriting. I personally own twelve different
titles on the subject, but reading your chapter on "Creating
Original Characters, Themes and Visual Metaphors For Your
Digital Short Film" made me realise that much of the other books
had touched on the subject, none had come even close to equipping
me with the step-by-step technique. I put aside the script I was in
middle of writing and went back to re-examine my characters.
The result was brilliant to say the least, even though I say so myself.
I believe I now have more dimensional characters compared to what
I was working on before. Needless to say I ordered a copy of your
book the very next day from Amazon.com. It has taken them two weeks
to get a copy but I just got a message that they shipped it today.
I can't wait to read the rest of the book....I must add that
I was equally impressed with the sample chapter "Designing
Camera Shots," even though I've never been behind a camera or
directed a movie before.

From what I have read of your book it is going to be my closest ally
and resource in my new venture. My hat off to you and may the force
stay with you!"

Later
after reading the book:

"Whew!
I just finished reading your book. ‘Great” doesn’t
really do it justice considering the fact that in America everything
is great. Reading your book is like a rollercoaster ride with all
the attendant adrenaline rush but without the scares. You packed it
with so much useful information that every page literally made me
pause and think as idea after idea kept popping into my head in terms
of how to structure, restructure and augment my screenplay and characters.
Even to say I finished reading your book is really misleading because
I don’t think anyone can ever say that. Developing Short Films
is not a reading book but a reference manual. But it is also more
than just a reference: it is a writing and production companion. A
really great piece of work (not in the overused American sense of
the word)!"

-
Chris Mukkuli from Zambia

"Let
me get this out of the way right up front. I love this book!

This book is the most complete book on the topic that I've seen so
far. I've read a dozen books on script writing and story development
and another half dozen on film making. Sheridan has created a one-stop
resource. (I realize my previous study may have prepped me to get
everything in this book.) You can use this book to create any kind
of film, be it a real action shot with a dv camera, or animation or
any combination of the two.

The book is divided into three parts, and each part has several chapters.
As each chapter addresses a topic, there are exercises and projects
to help you learn the topic lessons and develop your first film as
you go through the book. Part I is "Digital Storytelling".
She starts out by covering how to come up with ideas for a film story.
Her exercises will take you through brainstorming and writing to come
up with several story ideas. Then she goes in depth with original
characters, themes and metaphors, including all of the elements that
make a good character and how to develop a character arc. She explains
what a theme in a film is and how to develop visual metaphors that
define characters. Part I ends with a great section on plot points
and how to add twists, turns and surprise to your plot to keep it
interesting.

In Part II, she shows you how to use the three-act structure, create
scenes and write a script. The CD-ROM includes a demo copy of Movie
Magic Screenwriter that is fully functional and doesn't expire for
producing short (40-pages or less). If you follow her steps, you will
end up with a script. Once you have your script, she tells you how
to shoot it, how to make your shot choices, frame shots, and get the
eye to go where you want it in a scene. I was really impressed with
the section on how to design the color palette for your film to create
the mood you want. The book winds up with editing, making the editing
choices, adding in special effects, sound effects, titles, etc. The
CD-ROM also includes demo versions of Adobe After Effects and Sonic
Fire Pro. You can use the latter to add music to your film. After
going through this book, I wanted to be like the people in the old
40s movies "Hey, kids, lets make a movie!"